


In Darkness We Hide

by MysticForestWriter



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Amanda is a good sister, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Suicide, Ed Is A Little Shit, Ed's a dick, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone is protective of Ozzie, Finally together again, Fluff, Heartbreak, Heartbroken Oswald, Hospitalized Oswald, Hurt/Comfort, I really really love him, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced eye gouging, Inspired, Isabella is a fucking bitch, Jim is a Little Shit, M/M, Multi, Murder, One-Sided Attraction, Oswald was engaged, Protective Amanda Crowheart, Protective Victor Zsasz, Reunited lovers, Strange's Freaks, Super mega fluff, Twins, happy tears, huge twist, hurt Oswald, lost loved ones, love these boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:22:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21968524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticForestWriter/pseuds/MysticForestWriter
Summary: Being with him was like being on top of the world. Every single moment was pure bliss and happiness. Maybe there is such a thing as true love! He is... perfect... w-wait... NO!Two years latter Oswald is Mayor of Gotham city and, seemingly, better then he's ever been! With Isabella right around the corner though, everything is about to change. Gotham just isn't the same anymore. Oswald lost him and... now he's loosing Ed too. Why do things like this always happen? Turns out Oswald isn't doing as well as he appears. His favorite hobbies are drinking and playing with knives after all. What happens when everything comes crashing down, and a phantom from his past comes back to haunt him? Nothing in Gotham is ever as it seems. What if there was someone from the outside. What if she could be the one to help Oswald through this mess, and help him keep his life?
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot & Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot & Original Female Character(s), Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot/Original Male Character, Oswald Cobblepot/Victor Zsasz
Kudos: 24





	1. Finding out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald is in the hospital after Zsasz finds him bleeding out in the living room. When a girl claiming to be his sister arrives to see him, life suddenly gets a lot stranger and things don't go over well with Ed or his new girlfriend.

Oswald was, and always has been, a bit of an alcoholic. That being said, he usually keeps it under control. He is by no means a light weight. The day Ed comes home with a woman however, that was a bad day. Zsasz found his boss sitting alone, in the dark, passed out drunk. At least he thought that was what he thought at first, until he saw the silver knife in Oswald's hand and things got a lot worse. He had known that his boss loved Nygma and he hated it. He hated how that beanpole couldn't see Oswald's painfully obvious affection, no matter how pitifully Oswald tried to hide it. Zsasz would never admit it out loud but he had fallen for the small man. There was simply this charm about him that you really couldn't find with anyone else. He was so different and, lets be real, adorable. So a few days ago he had found Oswald drunk and crying over, you guessed it, Edward - fucking - Nygma. Oh Zsasz was starting to really hate that man's name. Zsasz became protective of Oswald, always there around him. He would glare at Edward whenever he was in the room, trying to made Nygma as uncomfortable as possible in his presence. One thing that stung though was that Oswald would never love him in the way that he loved Ed, with that fiery hope and dedication that some day Edward might love him back. He assured his boss that it would only be a matter of time before Ed killed this Isabella woman just like he did Kristin and that made him feel a bit better. Oswald seemed to like the idea of Ed running back to him with this woman's blood on his hands. He thought his boss might have been ok, and boy was he wrong. He shouldn't have left. Now Oswald was laying there in the hospital. Zsasz was pacing the halls, none of the doctors or nurses getting in his way or stopping him. Butch was there too, along with Barbra. Tabitha was back at the Sirens making sure things stayed running smoothly, not that she had wanted to come anyway. Neither Butch nor Tabitha had said anything to Zsasz, it was risky business, but Butch decided the silence was too much right now. 

"It wasn't your fault you know." He said and Zsasz's head snapped around to face him. 

"I shouldn't have left him alone. I should have gotten one of the girls to come keep an eye on him while I went out." He said, his voice calm but his eyes filled with spite and self loathing. Butch shook his head. 

"It isn't your job to-" Zsasz interrupted him. 

"-But it is! It is my job! I'm supposed to make sure nothing happens to him, to make sure his enemies stay down and-"

"-He's his own enemy right now Zsasz!" Barbra cut in. She stood up from he seat next to Butch and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel about him and - trust me - I've been there, but there isn't much you can do about this situation right now. Oswald has become his own enemy. His love for... that man has become to over whelming. That woman ruined everything and the fragile self worth that Oswald had was destroyed by her. Speaking of where is he?! None of us can go in to see him until he shows... or whoever those Crowheart people are." Barbra crossed her arms and frowned. "He's sure taking his sweet time." She grumbled. Everyone looked down the hall as the sound of running came thudding towards them. A Latina with curly dark brown hair dressing in black leather with combat boots and a lot of weapons skidded to a halt in front of Oswald's door. Before anyone could react she grabbed the doctor, panting, and said,

"Wh...Where is... he?"

"Well uhm who are you looking for ma'am?" He asked and she straightened herself up.

"Oswald." She said. "I'm looking for Oswald Cobblepot." At this Butch stiffened, Barbra got ready to grab Zsasz, and Zsasz drew his guns. 

"And uhm, who would you be?" the doctor asked. 

"I'm Amanda Crowheart, I should be on there." She said and the doctor nodded. 

"Yes you are, you can all come in to see him now." He said looking up from the clipboard. It was then that Amanda turned and noticed the other three standing and sitting there. She narrowed her eyes at them but was then immediately more concerned with Oswald. She walked into the room and gasped slightly when she saw him. He was hooked up to several machines with tubes and wires sticking out of his arms. "Ms. Crowheart, Mr. Cobblepot here is a very sick man. Not only did he suffer severe blood-loss from the cuts on his arms but there are high levels of alcohol in his system and signs of drug use. There's also reason to believe he had cut himself before today as well and, based of the scars, this has been going on for years." He explained. Barbra and Butch were horrified and if Zsasz was he didn't show it. Amanda simply nodded and pulled up a chair to sit at his side, facing the door as to keep an eye on who was coming in. The doctor left the room as Zsasz entered, no one wanted to be in the same room with the moody assassin. Amanda looked up at him for a moment before looking back down at Oswald. 

"How do you know him?" She asked and Zsasz wondered how he should answer for a moment. 

"I work for him, an assassin. But we are friends in a way. I protect him from most things but... Well I was the one who found him earlier." He said and she nodded. 

"Zsasz right?" She looked up and he nodded. "Yeah... he mentioned you to me a couple of times, in his letters." She smiled a little, but it was a sad, painful smile. "I genuinely thought he was getting better. Manipulative little bastard had me thinking I didn't have to worry about him anymore." She let out a hollow laugh. Barbra stepped into the room with Butch close behind her. 

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you to him?" Barbra questioned. Amanda looked at Oswald's pale, freckle covered face for a moment before answering. 

"I'm his sister... of sorts. It's rather odd hour our relationship works. We're close though. I mean, I did fly here from Japan the second I heard so..." She trailed off, lacing her fingers with Oswald's. "If he hasn't told you about me or... Well it's not my place to say. If he hasn't told you then you don't need to know." She said. "Just know that he's important to me, and I'll do anything to keep him safe." Everyone is pretty sure this was the moment Zsasz decided he liked this Amanda girl but, per usual, this heartwarming moment was ruined by Ed, who showed up really late to the party. Behind him was the one and only Isabella, the one behind this whole fiasco. Amanda looked at them for a long time, staring mostly at Ed, with her eyes narrowed and her stance rigid. "Who are you?" she growled. 

"Edward... Nygma." Ed said stiffly looking at her. "I'm his friend and chief of staff. So who are you?" Amanda huffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Amanda... Crowheart." She responded, mocking the tone he had used. "And I'm his sister."

"What took you so long getting here Nygma?" Zsasz interjected and Ed glanced at him nervously. 

"I got here as soon as I had heard-" He was promptly cut off by Amanda.

"Bullshit," she spat, "I was in Japan and I got here faster then you." Her gaze locked with that of the woman behind him. 

"Yes I'm afraid that would be my fault. I'm his girlfriend and we were together so he didn't find out until just recently." Isabella's voice was sweet and soft but Amanda could sense there was something else in it. Malice maybe.

"Well, good to know." Amanda spat, her eyes full of hate and mistrust. Isabella shifted, not used to being under the glare of someone like Amanda. "Anyways..." She turned back to Zsasz, "You were the one to find him right?" She asked and he nodded. 

"Yeah, I found the boss. I had just been coming back from one of my targets... I shouldn't have left him alone." He muttered and Amanda nodded. 

"You're an assassin too? Good to know," she said nodding. Ed took off his jacket and put it on the back of a chair he then sat in. Amanda let out a sigh, resting her forehead against Oswald's arm. "And it isn't your fault, you weren't the one who did this to him." She said. On the surface it didn't seem like much but Zsasz and Barbra understood what she had really meant by that. Isabella sighed softly as she stood by Ed's side. 

"Do you know who attacked him?" She asked and Barbra almost physically rolled her eyes.

"He wasn't attacked, he did this to himself." She said and Ed's eyes widened. 

"Wh-What?! Why would he do this...?" Amanda wanted to punch him. Before she could tell him it was his fault that whore Isabella cut in. 

"Because he's selfish that's why. Some people are too wrapped up in their own worlds they forget how their actions affect other people, and don't think about their friends." She said in that voice was too sweet for the bullshit she was spewing. Amanda growled and, before anyone knew what was happening, leapt over Oswald, grabbed a knife from her boot, and pinned Isabella to the wall, with the knife at her throat. Zsasz slid his guns out and Barbra tensed. Butch just gaped as Amanda placed a bit of pressure on the knife. 

"Don't you ever say shit like that about my brother again you whore!" She hissed. Ed jumped up.

"Let her go! And she's right!" Amanda dropped Isabella and whipped around to face Ed. She tried sputtering out some insult but Ed beat her to it. "We're leaving, come on Isabella." He said, grabbing her hand. He stormed out of the room and paused in the doorway. "And I'm not gonna continue working for someone like that, I'll continue working until he's back and then I'm formally handing in my resignation," and with that he left, dragging his girlfriend with him. The moment he left Amanda exploded. 

"I CAN NOT BELIEVE HIM!" She yelled, throwing her hands up. "Seriously, that-" 

Ed had realized he had forgotten his coat back in the room and told Isabella to go ahead and that he'll meet her in the car. He turned and walked back to the room in time to hear her rant. 

"Seriously, that prick makes me wanna scream! How in the actual, literal, genuine, fuck does he not realize Oswald is head over heels for him!" He gasped silently. Oswald was in love with him? Looking back on it, it was rather obvious. The way Os looked at him, how he was always there for him, how he took any chance to be close to him. How had he been so blind. "And that whore girlfriend of his! Who does she think she is! How dare she talk about poor Ossie that way! She has no idea what he's been through and-" 

"Excuse me but I forgot my coat." Ed said walking in, deciding he had heard enough. He walked over and grabbed his jacket from the chair. "And don't call Isabella a whore," and with that he left again. He didn't want to address the fact that he had heard Oswald loved him, not yet anyways. He still wasn't sure how to handle this new information. Yes, there had been a time when he thought he might have loved Oswald back and yes, there was a part of him that wished Oswald loved him, but that was in the past. He had Isabella now and she was everything Ed had ever wanted. He was still going to resign, but he felt a familiar tug at the back of his mind, like something... someone trying to come forward. His alternate personality. He'd have to have a talk with him once he got home. He got into the car and smiled at Isabella, who smiled back. Yeah, she was all that he wanted, and probably all that the evil Ed wanted too. hopefully they would still remain as one, Isabella would help keep them together. 

Back in the hospital room Amanda was back sitting next to Oswald, holding his hand, and silently praying that everything would be alright. Butch had taken post outside the door, making sure no unwanted company came back, specifically Ed. Barbra was sitting opposite of Amanda, more of keeping an eye on her than Oswald. She had proven to be highly unstable and violent, though looking at her now she didn't seem all that dangerous. Yes, Barbra had wanted to slap the shit out of that girl but she wouldn't have pulled a knife on her or thrown her against a wall. Zsasz was sitting against a wall, parallel to Oswald's bed. He had a good view of the entire room and, while he would never admit it, the distance from everyone was a great way to stop from breaking down. Victor had a resolve and emotional mask of steel, but even steel can break under enough pressure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning you now updates are gonna be infrequent but long, as this is sort of a side project. I have a vague idea of a story line but for the most part I'm just making it up as I go. Don't be upsetti at me for shipping Oswald with an original character cause I don't give a flying fuck about what you think. I'm writing this story for myself and for Vortex, if you chose to read it I don't want to hear you bitching about how it's not even close to cannon and if the characters seem a bit ooc ish. I'm to tired and done with people's shit to care. Remember, it's ME writing it not you. With that being said I DO appreciate feedback and constructive criticism, I just don't want y'all to be assholes about it :) The reason I'm saying this now, and it may sound a bit dickish I admit, is because I get so much god damn HATE on this ship for no reason at all. People just seem to hate the fact that it's an Oc and not some random cannon character. For some reason shipping him with Jeremiah is fine but when it's an Oc people pitch a fit! Plus it's not just them really it's any ship with an Oc because for some reason all Ocs are self inserts even thought Alexander (the oc in question) has a personality that's like, the opposite of mine but whatever... I started ranting there, sorry¡ Anyways do enjoy and don't be afraid to comment because of that whole rant bit, I'm not gonna blow up on ya I swear -w-'


	2. He's Awake!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald wakes up leading Barbra and Victor to learn something they never knew about the little man. Not only that but Edward makes the biggest mistake of his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do NOT speak Spanish, all Spanish in this and any future chapters is done with Google Translate because I actually failed my Spanish class. If you ARE a Spanish speaker and see something wrong with the text then point it out and tell me what to change it too.

27 hours latter Oswald was still asleep and the doctors were beginning to worry that he might not wake up. Edward had kept his promise to keep working as the chief of staff until Oswald returned and he retired. Another problem that came with Oswald being unconscious still, aside from the usually mod violence which was kept under control by Zsasz and Barbra, was Amanda. She was beginning to get antsy, which means she was starting to get violent. This woman was a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off, and the longer Oswald was out the bigger the explosion was going to be. She was beginning to lash out at the hospital staff. No one wanted to be the one to tell her that Oswald might not wake up. Luckily for them Zsasz volunteered to be the one to tell her that her brother might not be able to get through this. Barbra was waiting out in the hall and Butch was conveniently busy when Victor went in to talk to Amanda. He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at him. 

"Amanda listen-" He was cut short by doctors ushering them out of the room as Oswald's heart beat sped up. Amanda paced up and down the hall muttering things to herself in Spanish. Zsasz was leaning against the wall beside the door while Barbra remained in her seat near Zsasz. 

"Any idea what's happening?" She asked looking up at the assassin. Zsasz just shook his head. 

"If we're lucky he's waking up, otherwise..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence with Amanda in earshot. Barbra nodded in understanding and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. 

"If he is waking up then he's going to have his heart ripped out and smashed with a hammer." Barbra said pointedly. Victor frowned, knowing this was unfortunately true. He didn't want to see his boss any worse then he already was. 

"Amanda is here now." He said hopefully. "Maybe she'll make things better for him. She did say she was his sister after all." Barbra nodded and muttered a maybe. They all looked up as one of the doctors walked out of the room. Amanda stalked up to him and crossed her arms. 

"You may go back in now, but I warn you he is awake so-" Amanda raced past him into the room. "-try not to overwhelm him..." He finished. 

"OZZIE!" Amanda yelled and Oswald looked up at her. Immediately his face lit up with joy and he grinned. She pulled him up a little into a hug and kissed the side of his head. "¡Estas despierto! ¡Estoy tan feliz de que estés bien!" She exclaimed, speaking rapidly in Spanish. 

"Jaja cálmate Amanda! Estoy perfectamente bien." He responded. Barbra gasped in surprise and Victor's eyes widened. Oswald could speak Spanish?! 

"Hey boss." Victor said, walking over to his other side. 

"Victor..." Oswald said awkwardly, fidgeting a bit. 

"You gave us quite the scare there Penguin." Barbra said jokingly as she walked over. Oswald smiled looking around the room but then frowned. 

"Where's Edward?" He asked and Victor tensed, looking up at Amanda. Oswald slowly turned to look at her too and was surprised to find and absolutely livid look on her face. He paused briefly. "Amanda are you ok?"

"Not with Edward or that skank girlfriend of his! She is such a bitch, got her claws in him like a god damn succubus!" She growled, gripping the bed sheet. "She convinced him that you were selfish and didn't care about him or any of us because of what you did. He's... going to retire as soon as you're fit to return to office." She said the last part in a sort of mumble, looking down at the ground. Oswald's expression was completely unreadable, which was strange for him as he usually wore his heart on his sleeve around people he considered friends. Amanda pulled up a chair and sat down beside him. She grabbed his hand and he laced their fingers together. 

"He's really... going to leave." He asked softly and Amanda nodded. 

"I'm sorry Oswald. I think it's my fault. I got really angry at her because of what she said about you and I lashed out and i think it made him angry and-" Oswald shushed her.

"It isn't you're fault Amanda, this was his own choice. I really can't believe that he would chose her over me though. He... he must really love her." He frowned and Victor wanted to find Nygma and kill him, the look on Oswald's face was just so broken and emotionless. "If Edward wants to leave then who am I to stop him. If he wants to go then we don't need him around." He looked up at Amanda, a fiery passion burning in his eyes. "We don't need him to rule this damn city." Amanda grinned. 

"Damn straight!" She slammed her fist on a nearby table. "That asshole and his bitch can just get the Hell out of your damn life." She said and Oswald chuckled. 

"Yeah. Besides it's only a matter of time before he ends up killing her like the last one. Then he'll come crawling back to me." He smirked and Zsasz deiced he liked where this was going.

It was another day before Oswald was fit to go home and, in that time, Edward didn't visit him once. Amanda on the other hand never left the hospital, along with Zsasz. As soon as he was able to return to office he did so, bringing Amanda and Zsasz with him. Barbra had returned to the sirens and Butch continued with whatever it was he was doing. The same day he was back in office he was sitting with Amanda as he went through the papers that had built up. 

"Así que lista para él venir?" Amanda asked and Oswald nodded.

"Si estoy listo." He said and Amanda nodded humming. The two continued talking a bit, switching between Spanish and English at random. Amanda had decided to sit on a patch of Oswald's desk that wasn't covered in papers and was swinging her legs. They were catching up on things that had happened since they had last seen each other and where both laughing when Edward decided to finally make his appearance. Oswald noticed him out of the corner of his eye and said to Amanda, "Oh mira, es él." She looked over at Ed who was standing in the doorway and grinned. "Edward, great to finally see you. Come in." He said with a smirk. In this moment Edward hadn't even processed that Oswald spoke Spanish. In entire honesty he felt like a mouse trapped between two cats. Very hungry and sadistic cats. 

"Mr. Cobblepot." He said stiffly and Oswald raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you already know why I'm here." He said and Oswald eyed the paper in his hands that was clearly his resignation. 

"Yes I was made aware." He leaned back in his chair. "However do know that if you chose to leave I can not protect you from the police, criminals, or otherwise. Especially with your reasons and the circumstances. I'd recomend grabbing your girlfriend and leaving Gotham as soon as possible." He said. As he was talking Amanda had hopped down from the desk, walked over to Edward, and grabbed the paper from him. He was trying to think of something to say as she turned back to Oswald and handed it to him. "I suppose I'm going to need a new chief of staff." He muttered, more to himself then anyone else. "Well if that's all Mr. Nygma," Edward almost wanted to flinch at the way Oswald said his name, "I have quite a bit of work to catch up on and a new chief of staff to find so if you don't mind." He nodded towards the door. Edward understood what he meant.

"W-Wait that's it?!" He said surprised. Oswald rolled his eyes and Amanda chuckled. 

"Yes that's it. What were you expecting? A parade and speech?" He asked sarcastically. 

"Well actually you might need to have a speech..." Amanda said thoughtfully and Oswald nodded. 

"Yes, about quite a few things actually. As you can see Nygma I'm rather busy so If you would leave, that'd be great," he said and Edward nodded.

"Right... I'll be going then." He said briskly before turning on his heel and walking out the door. Amanda closed it behind him and turned to face Oswald who immediately face planted into the desk. 

"Ohhh God that was so hard," he muttered and Amanda walked over and patted his shoulder. 

"I know, you did good though. I'm gonna go tell Zsasz to spread the word about Edward Nygma not being under your protection any more, be back in a second." She said before practically skipping out the door, closing it again behind her.Oswald chuckled and continued sorting through all his papers, a lot had happened in the three days or so he was out.

Several hours of paper signing and sorting latter, Oswald finally got home. Amanda was sitting on the couch in one of the living rooms on her phone. She was talking to someone and looked as though she had been crying. He stopped dead and watched her for a moment as she hung up. 

"Amanda?" He said softly walking over to her. She jumped and wiped the tears away but Oswald could see the mascara lines. "Amanda what happened?" 

"So... you know my fiance? The one I told you about last winter?" She asked and he nodded. "He just called me and called off the wedding, he said he fell out of love with me..." Oswald rushed over and hugged her. She cried a little into his shoulder before pulling away and shaking her head. "God get a grip..." She muttered. "Well, it would appear that yours truly is staying in Gotham!" She said, smiling weakly. Oswald smiled and suddenly got an idea. 

"That's good. I needed a new chief of staff after all." He said and her eyes lit up. Amanda, despite her emotional personality, was quite the politician. Not only that but she was part of several mafias back in Japan along with several gangs and a mob. She's a somewhat trained assassin and could easily help Oswald keep his power, especially after he was in the hospital for so long.

"Really?! You want ME to be your chief of staff?" She asked bouncing up and down on her heels.

"Yeah, you'd be pretty good at it with all your experience. My chief of staff also helps with my king pin business." He said with a grin. 

"Well naturally," Amanda said matter-of-factly. "I'd love to be your chief of staff!" She said happily. Oswald grinned and the two went upstairs to Oswald's sitting room to have wine.

Two hours later Victor discovered that Oswald and Amanda were drinking buddies who have a tendency to quickly change from wine to vodka real fast. Long story short he walked in on those two drunk off their asses and talking about random shit in Spanish, which just sounded like gibberish to him. He sighed and walked over, grabbing the bottle of vodka from the table. 

"That's it I'm cutting you two off." He said and there was a groan of protest. 

"Zsasz! ¡Devuélvelo en este instante!" He said and Zsasz shook his head. 

"Boss I got no idea what you're saying." Victor said, grinning. Oswald glared at him but then started grinning. Suddenly the Vodka was pulled out of his hand from behind. He whirled around to see Amanda standing there, bottle in hand.

"Haha! ¡Lo tengo!" She said triumphantly. Zsasz rolled his eyes and pulled the bottle back out of her hand. 

"No. You two need some water and a nap." He said firmly before turning to look at Oswald, "and you just got out of the hospital, we don't need you going back." Oswald frowned and finally switched back into English. 

"I know you're right but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He mumbled and Zsasz laughed. Amanda pouted behind Zsasz's back and walked back over to the couch where Oswald was. She fell over onto the couch, laying her head in his lap. 

"Hey Ozzie?" She said and he looked down, "I got somthin to tell ya." She giggled drunkenly and reached up to boop his nose. "I almost killed that Isabelle chick earlier when i saw her out in the parking lot with Nygma." She smiled, eyes wide. "Buuut I didn't... self control hehe..." She then proceeded to pass out. Oswald looked at her for a moment before muttering something in Spanish. 

"Victor could you help me get her upstairs?" He asked, hiccuping after. 

"Course boss." He said and walked over, picking her up off his lap. "You should go to bed too." Was all he said before carrying Amanda upstairs to the spare room across from Oswald's. He heard the familiar sound of Oswald limping up the stairs after him and smiled a bit. He skillfully opened the door and put Amanda on the bed. He took her shoes off and threw a blanket over her. As he left the room he saw Oswald going into his room. "ight Oz." He said softly and Oswald smiled at him. 

"Good night Victor." Oswald then disappeared into his room for the night. Victor had some people who were needed dead so he left the mansion to being working. He intended to get at least seven more marks tonight. 

Not long after Zsasz left another being appeared in the house. It walked over to Oswald's bed and sat down next to him. It reached over and gently traced it's fingers over the side of his face. Oswald groaned in his sleep and leaned into the being touch. Suddenly it pulled away and vanished without a trace.


	3. New chief of staff?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Ed's view on everything going on, especially on how quickly he's been replaced by Amanda. Starting back when he quit his job as Oswald's Chief of Staff.

Edward let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he left Oswald's office. He had expected Oswald to already know, but he didn't expect him to be so cool about it. He had expected Oswald to at least ask him to stay, or to get upset about it, but it was almost like he couldn't care less. Maybe he knew about what he had said with Isabella when he was in the hospital. Ed wouldn't be surprised if Amanda had told him everything about what had happened that day. He walked through the building and walked out into the parking lot where Isabella was waiting for him in the car. 

"Alright, I no longer work for Oswald Cobblepot." He said turning to his girlfriend. Isabella smiled softly, 

"How'd it go?" She asked and Ed knew she was referring to how Oswald took it. 

"Surprisingly well... He was so calm about it. Almost like he didn't care. Or he knows something I don't." He frowned. "He made a point to mention we would no longer be under his protection." He rubbed his temples, not liking the sudden personality change of the small man. "Somethings going on with him." Isabella put a hand on his shoulder and smiled reasuringly. 

"Don't worry about it dear. If he or someone else is after us though, it would be wise to leave Gotham for a little while." She said and Edward shook his head. 

"He sugested we leave too but... I just don't know. Do you really want to leave the life you've made here and... Well I still have business going on here." He sighed and rested his head against the steering wheel. Isabella frowned and rubbed his back. 

"Hey, we can stay here. Besides we don't even know if someone really is going to come after us." She said and Ed sat up. 

"You're right. We don't really know if someone is going to come for us. Better get some form of protection just in case though..." He trailed off muttering things to herself. 

"Ed honey, we can do all that but first we should get home." Isabella said chuckling a little. 

"Oh right, silly me." He said and started up the car. He noticed Amanda leaning against the wall of the building talking to Victor Zsasz. That couldn't be good. If Amanda was sending Zsasz after them no amount of protection would be able to stop him. Then the two started laughing about something, and Ed almost had a heart attack. Zsasz never laughed, at least not around him. He pulled out of his parking spot and started driving home. "You know, another thing that caught me off guard was him talking to that girl Amanda, I didn't know Oswald spoke Spanish." He said as he drove. Isabella hummed in acknowledgement. 

"Well, he probably only speaks it around her. I wonder if the two of them are dating." She said airily, "It would explain why she got there so quickly." Edward almost cringed at the idea of Oswald having a girlfriend. 

"Maybe." He muttered, knowing damn well they weren't together. After all if he had heard them correctly then Oswald was probably gay, and... in love with him. He sighed and focused back on the road, wanting to get home so he could shower and try and put this all in the past. 

Once they got home Ed hopped in the shower and Isabella started looking through movies. She had thought about starting dinner but then remembered how Ed loved to cook, and was much better at it then her. Once he got out he smiled at her and started working on dinner for the two of them. Once he was finished the two sat together on the couch to watch Ed's favorite movie and eat. For a while Edward completely forgot about his concerns regarding The Penguin. The next day however, he wouldn't be able to think about anything other than Oswald. 

As Edward sat down the next morning to watch the news he almost dropped his tea. He stared, wide eyed, at the screen and even leaned forwards a bit. He genuinely couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Oswald, announcing Edward stepping down and that Amanda was now going to be the new chief of staff. He had been so easily replaced, by her! Edward couldn't believe that Oswald had just moved on especially because of what he had heard in the hospital. Had Oswald really loved him? Then he realized something, he had chosen to leave Oswald, he really couldn't blame Oswald for what he was feeling right now. Oswald was probably just trying to move on from him because he realized he was happy with Isabella. Edward remembered he had told Oswald that love is about sacrifice, was Oswald sacrificing his own happiness so that Edward could be with Isabella because he really loved him. Ed sat there for a minuet in complete shock. 

"Holy shit..." he muttered before taking a deep breath and turning off the tv. 

"Hon you ok?" He heard the sleepy voice of his girlfriend behind him and he turned to look at her. She was wearing one of his robes, her hair was a bit of a mess, and she was tired looking. Absolutely gorgeous. Edward smiled,

"I'm fine dear, do you want me to make breakfast?" he asked and Isabella nodded. 

"Of course, your cooking is far better then mine," she admitted and Edward chuckled. He got up off the couch and started making breakfast, showing Isabella how he did it along the way. Again he temporarily forgot all about Oswald and simply enjoyed the time he had with his girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah a shorter chapter than normal but I feel like y'all just needed to know what these two were doing. (also I had no idea what to do for him announcing that Amanda was the new chief of staff so this is my way of cheating hehe)


	4. How odd...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well I'd that that went pretty well!"
> 
> Amanda starts to notice something odd happening around the mansion. However she finds her self to busy to worry about it, being Oswald's new chief of staff. Oswald on the other hand, is becoming increasingly paranoid as he feels like he's always being watched.

"Well I'd say that went pretty well!" Amanda said with a grin and Oswald nodded. 

"Yeah, the people seem to really like you," he said smiling at her.

"I know! It's my secret weapon that no one can resist!" she said, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. 

"Oh?" Oswald raised and eyebrow, "and what would that be?" he asked and Amanda grinned. She leaned in and whispered into his ear,

"...tits." She leaned back and Oswald tried not to laugh. "No seriously! Being a woman has some serious perks!" she said with a cheeky grin. 

"Honesty." Oswald shook his head at her and stood up. "But seriously we have some work do get done, more specifically work that may require Zsasz's skills," he said and Amanda's eyes light up. 

"Sweet! I was talking to him earlier and I wanna see his techniques. He's really experienced," she said and went to go get ready. Oswald stood and stretchered, preparing for the long day of talking to criminals ahead of him. 

At the end of it all, Amanda was thoroughly impressed by Zsasz's handiwork and was thrilled to bits when he showed her how to do some of the things he did. Oswald on the other hand, was thoroughly exhausted. He found himself missing Edward's company and sighed sadly as he settled down on the couch. Not only that but he had the nagging feeling that someone was watching him all day and it was starting to get to him. Amanda looked at him with a frown. 

"You ok?" she asked and he shook his head. 

"No," he muttered miserably, "I'm tired, missing Edward, and paranoid as ever." Amanda looked at him for a moment. 

"You need a drink," she said, stating a fact more then asking a question. Oswald nodded and Amanda went over and poured them both some wine. She handed Oswald his glass and sat down next to him. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"Well," he paused to take a sip, "I've had this feeling all day, like someone's watching me." He sighed and looked over at her, "and I don't know if I'm actually being watched or if I'm just being paranoid again." Amanda nodded, drinking some of her wine as well. 

"Understandable for you to be paranoid. You're the kingpin of the underworld and mayor of Gotham, there's gonna be a lot of people who don't like you," she paused for a moment, "but neither Zsasz or I noticed anyone following us at all today. Trust me if we were being stalked I'd know," she said jokingly and Oswald chuckled. "I bet you were just tired and nervous." Oswald nodded, thinking she was probably right. 

"Alright, I think I'm just going to go to bed tonight," he said and downed the rest of the wine. 

"Ok Ozzie, see ya tomorrow," Amanda said as he got up. 

"See you tomorrow," he replied. As he limped up the stairs another being silently watched. Once he got to the top it vanished. Oswald glanced around, his anxiety spiking, "Someone there?" he called out, but got no response. He narrowed his eyes. The hall was dark but he would have noticed if there was someone in the hall with him. He didn't see anyone and huffed. "God I really need some sleep," he muttered to himself before going to his room. Once he was there he turned on the light and changed out of his suit and into his pajamas. He hummed softly to himself as he got ready for bed, the being from before returning to watch him. It was a mostly human creature that was sitting cross legged on the windowsill in Oswald's room, silently watching him through the mirror. It blinked once and vanished just before Oswald turned back around. Oswald just shrugged and turned off the light before climbing into bed. Sleep didn't come easy but when it did it was deep and dreamless. The creature reappeared again, standing over Oswald's bed as he slept. It's head snapped up as it heard a noise from outside the window. It turned and looked outside to see something moving through the woods. It tilted it's head and vanished. It reappeared again outside at the edge of the trees. It walked through on high alert, but didn't see whatever was out here before. It frowned and turned to look back at the mansion and, for a moment, it made eye contact with Amanda who was staring at it through one of the windows. It froze before vanishing and Amanda blinked a few times, wondering if she was just going crazy. She shook her head and turned back to get ready for bed, changing into a sleeping gown and brushing out her hair. She fell over into her bed and yawned, closing her eyes. Amanda rolled over and snuggled up in the blankets before quickly falling asleep. 

The two woke up the next morning, Amanda before Oswald. She walked into Oswald's room and fell over onto the bed crushing him. He jumped and shoved her off. 

"Amanda what the pumpkin spice fuck are you doing?!" he growled and she grinned up at him from the floor. 

"It's morning time! You gotta wake up," She said, getting up from the floor. Oswald just rolled his eyes at her before rolling onto his side. Amanda got up and frowned, crossing her arms. "No seriously, you have a meeting in an hour and a half," she said matter-o-factly. Oswald sat up and glared at her. "Oh don't look at me like that. Now get your ass out of bed." She turned towards the closet before going through and picking out a suit for him along with a tie. Amanda placed them at the end of the bed and smiled at Oswald before turning to get herself ready. Oswald swung his legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. He stretched and popped his back. Oswald set about getting ready, meanwhile Amanda was in the other room trying on her new suit. She'd never been the type for dresses so Oswald had gotten her a custom made suit, with tit room. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She looked up at there was a know on the door. "Come in!" she called and turned to see who it was. Zsasz was leaning in the doorway grinning. 

"You look lovely," he said and Amanda smiled.

"Thank you Victor. By the way, you're gonna have to show me that knife trick," she said with a grin. Zsasz chucked before walking over and helping her fix her tie. 

"Sure, you seem capable enough with a knife," he said. He frowned and took the tie off. "Hang on I've got something better." He walked out and Amanda sat on the bed with her legs crossed, waiting for him. Victor came back with a collar much like the one he wore in his hands. He slid it on under the collar of her suit and clipped the silver buckle. "There, that looks much better!" he exclaimed and Amanda hopped up to look in the mirror. She gasped and smiled, turning back to face Zsasz. 

"It looks great!" she said excitedly, "thanks Victor." He just smiled. Oswald poked his head in and raised an eyebrow at the two. 

"What's going on in here?" he asked in an amused tone. Amanda grinned at him. 

"Victor was helping me get ready," she said and showed him the collar. He chuckled, and Victor grinned at him.

"Maybe you should try out a collar boss, you'd look good in one," Victor said and Oswald shook his head, face turning pink. 

"I'll leave the collars to you two," he said before turning and limping away. "Amanda we've gotta go soon!" he called back and Amanda groaned. 

"Right... chief of staff. I'll see you latter Victor!" she said as she quickly followed after Oswald. Victor watched the two go, shaking his head. As they left Zsasz could have sworn he heard something behind him but, when he turned, there was nothing there. Frowning he stalked through the mansion. That couldn't have just been nothing. As he walked through he could feel something watching him. It was unnerving. Even though he found no sign of another person in the house he just couldn't shake the feeling. He left the mansion and began on his rounds, checking on the girls, and popping over to make sure everything was going well for Oswald and Amanda. Thankful Amanda was adapting quickly to her new life and it was a great distraction from everything else. Amanda and Oswald are very similar in the sense that working is the best distraction for them, besides drinking. 

As Amanda and Oswald were leaving the town hall to head home Amanda once again felt strange. She turned and for a spit second she thought she saw him. Her eyes widened at the thought of her brother standing there in the alley. She shook her head and there was nothing. This city is getting weirder and weirder. Now she was hallucinating her dead brother. She sighed and got in the limo next to Oswald, who just looked tired. He looked over at Amanda and frowned. 

"Are you ok? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said. Amanda almost chuckled at the irony. 

"I'm fine just... tired I guess," she responded. As the two settled in for the ride back home Amanda couldn't shake the feeling of dread. When she had seen him it felt so real, as if he was really there looking at her. There had been something off about his eyes though, which wouldn't be surprising. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Oswald just raised and eyebrow at her but otherwise let her be. "Do you ever see something that you know isn't real but you really wish it was?" Amanda asked and Oswald looked at her strangely. 

"Uhm... not when I'm awake... Amanda are you sure you're ok?" Oswald asked, getting really concerned. Amanda shook her head.

"I'm sure it's nothing, I'm not even sure I saw anything," she said softly. "Can we just get back home please?" she asked softly and Oswald nodded, commanding the driver to take them back to the mansion. Once they got back Amanda went over to her favorite couch and fell over onto it. She let out a deflated sigh and rolled over onto her stomach. Oswald looked at her for a moment before sitting down on the couch across from her. 

"So you wanna do something tonight or just go to bed?" he asked and Amanda turned to look at him for a moment. 

"Got any tequila?"


	5. Is it really you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A-Alexander?"
> 
> Amanda finally manages to come face to face with her brother, all while Edward struggles with his other half and Oswald thinks he's loosing his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Good' Edward will be Ed or Edward and the evil alternate personality will by Nygma or Riddler.

Amanda walked through the house, everything was quiet as she was the only one home. Oswald was out on some business that didn't require her presence and so she was basically on her own until he was finished, and that wasn't going to be for a while. She hummed and decided she should go out and get a look around the city. She went upstairs and grabbed some clothes to change into. She pulled on black skinny jeans and a red t-shirt. She threw on her leather jacket over it and zipped it up halfway. Amanda looked through her closet for a moment before grabbing her combat boots. She slid a knife into it's holster on the side of one of her boots and went back downstairs. She wrote a quick note telling Oswald what she was doing in case he got back before her. Then she ran outside and hopped on her motorcycle, which Oswald had gotten for her the other day, it was a black red fairing Kawasaki Ninja 400, just like the one she had back in Japan. She had grabbed her helmet from the table in the hallway and sped off as soon at it was on. As she darted through cars on the road she felt free, like nothing could stop her. Amanda smiled as she drove through the traffic, finally feeling free. Deciding to check out the 'narrows' as Oswald had called it she took a sharp left and went down towards the docks. Driving over the bridge she looked over the edge at the river wondering how many bodies lay at the bottom. She slowed to a stop and looked around. Compared to the rest of the city this place was kinda a dump. Amanda didn't trust the sideways looks she and her bike were getting from the people and decided she wasn't going to leave it alone. Slowly Amanda drove around, looking around the place. She knew the Arkham asylum was around here somewhere, but she wasn't quite sure where. She'd need to know if Oswald ever got his ass landed in their again. As she looked around she saw a really old looking building with guards around it. She drove up to the gate and took her helmet off. 

"Excuse me, what is this place?" she asked raising an eyebrow. 

"It's the Arkham asylum ma'am," he responded, clearly recognizing her from the news. Amanda's eyebrows shot up and she looked at the building. 

"That is the Arkham asylum?! It's literally falling apart!" she exclaimed and the guard shrugged.

"Barely any of us guards actually have any training or experience. They say we're the best but really we'er just a bunch of cop rejects who have little to no idea what we're doing," the guard said, "the pay isn't good either and I don't think they're helping any of the patients." Amanda shook her head. 

"This city man... It needs some serious work... I should get going," Amanda said, noticing a group of gang like men approaching. "I don't think my presence is very welcome here." The guard noticed the men and nodded. 

"Yes, I think it'd be best if you got out of here," he said briefly, not wanting a fight any more than Amanda. Amanda put her helmet back on and revved up the bike before quickly taking off. As she drove she noticed something strange from what looked like a bar. She slowed down and looked at it as she went by. She saw nothing and frowned. What was going on with her? She could have sworn she saw a shadow moving in front of it. Shrugging it off she continued her ride through the narrows. 

Edward paced around the bathroom. His mind was cloudy as he wondered what was happening with him. He decided he needed to talk with the Riddler. He turned and looked in the mirror waiting for him to appear. 

"Edward, pleasure to see you again," he purred, but his eyes were full of malice. 

"What the Hell is going on with me! You're doing something in my mind," Ed stated. "What the Hell do you want?" 

"Oswald," Nygma said simply. Edward stared at him dumbly. 

"Oswald... you want him dead?" he asked, confused. Nygma rolled his eyes.

"No you idiot! I want him! To love him! And you do to you're just to blind to see it," He said and Ed looked scandalized. 

"I do NOT! I have Isabella now and I'm happy with her," he growled, gripping the edge of the sink. Nygma gave him a look.

"Right. Yeah. Sure you are. Come on now we both know how you've felt since you left. How nonchalant he was about you resigning. How quickly he replaced you with that girl. He loved you, I bet this was how he felt when you replaced him with Isabella," he spat her name. Edward realized that Oswald had done it because of him. "Oh, did you just realize something?" his reflection asked smirking. 

"He... he did that because of me..." he said softly. "He could of easily gone after Isabella but he... he attacked himself..." Edward could feel his breathing speed up. "He..." He felt like he was going to vomit. 

"Now now Edward, lets face it. You knew this all along, after all I AM you," Nygma saw with a smirk. "You left him, you left him for her. He almost killed himself because. Of. You."

"SHUT UP!" Edward yelled, slamming his fists down on the sink. The tears that had been building up finally spilled out. Nygma vanished and Edward fell to the floor. "God dammit Oswald... why didn't you tell me," he muttered. He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. He slowly stood up and looked back into the mirror, but Riddler was gone. 

Tiers screeched to a halt as Amanda stopped at the docks. She took her helmet off and looked out over the river. Again she wondered how many people had been walked out here and shot. She smiled as a boat went by. In Japan, where she had lived for almost three years now, she would always go swimming in a river with her would be fiance. They were good memories. Amanda's entire body stiffened as she was brought out of her memories by a noise behind her. She grabbed her knife and turned, but there wasn't anything there. 

"I could have sworn I heard the wood creak..." she muttered. She figured it must have been the water bellow her but something deep in her gut told her it wasn't. Deciding it was time to explore somewhere else she stuck her helmet back on and wheeled the motorcycle around before taking off back towards the city. As she drove she could have sworn she saw a fleeting shadow in the corner of her vision the whole time, but whenever she looked there was nothing. Is this how Oswald felt? As if something was always there watching but you could never see it. It was creepy. The whole city is creepy. As she drove back over the bridge she let her mind wander. There was a blaring alarm right in front of her and she swerved just in time to miss getting hit by a bus that was driving down the wrong lane. It crashed into another car and both skidded dangerously close to the edge. Amanda reacted immediately, spinning around and jumping off the bike. She ran towards the car and tried to open the door. It was stuck so she smashed the window open. She used her knife to cut through the seat belt and drag the unconscious driver out. Amanda lied him out on the ground before turning and running around to the bus door. She pulled it open as the bus started teetering. "Quickly everyone off!" she shouted. About thirty or so Children clambered over each other quickly getting out the door. Amanda then turned to the driver who she, at first, thought was unconscious. Then she noticed a small bleeding hole in the back of the drivers neck and a shattered window. Someone must have shot them, and they had really good aim too. She knew from experience that it was hard to shoot someone in a moving vehicle. There was a faint pulse and she dragged them out of the bus. By now people had stopped and gotten out of their cars. Amanda laid the bus driver out on the ground before calling out, "Someone call an ambulance!" Someone grabbed their phone and quickly called 911. Amanda set to work doing what she could to try and keep this man alive. When the ambulance arrived paramedics ran over got him up on a stretcher. She sat there on her knees for a moment, panting, as they brought him into the ambulance. People were cheering and Amanda smiled, waving weakly. 

"Miss are you ok?" a voice and she looked up at a police officer. 

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," she said and he nodded. She got up and sighed. This day wasn't going how she had thought. She chuckled as she stood up, waving to people with an embarrassed smile. 

Ed was staring at the tv with so much hatred. This woman was becoming more and more popular by the hour, how the hell did she manage to save an entire bus of children from going over the bridge? He watched her on the news as she smiled and waved. Isabella was starting to notice her boyfriends strange behavior. 

"What's wrong Ed dear?" she asked as she sat down next to him, placing her hand on his arm. For some reason this reminded him of something Oswald used to do.

"This Amanda girl," he started, "she just saved an entire bus of children and their driver's life."

"Isn't that a good thing? That bus looks like it's about to go over the edge," she said with a smile and Ed couldn't help but grimace. 

"Well yes, but there's no way that was just a coincidence right? I mean she just happens to be going over the bridge when the driver gets shot?" he said exasperated. Isabella nodded, knowing he had a point. 

"I suppose you do have a point there, it is a little odd. Everything happens for a reason though right? Say it is all an act, what is there you can do about it?" Isabella said. "The people of Gotham seem to really love her and this is only going to make her more popular. Best part is she has no criminal record like you, they have no reason to believe she would seek to harm them," she pointed out and Edward nodded. She had made a lot of good points and Ed was trying to figure it all out. 

"What could I do about it? I have no solid proof, a shifty background, not much power, and on top of all that no one has any reason to believe me. Not looking great," he muttered. Maybe it was just him thinking like a Gothamite, maybe there wasn't anything wrong with her and he was just jealous that she got to be around Oswald and not him. Amanda wasn't from Gotham so maybe she wasn't corrupt like everyone else. Perhaps Oswald's 'sister' was genuinely a good person. He shook his head again. "You're right, Im just over thinking things," he said softly and Isabella smiled. 

"What do you say we go out to lunch?" she asked and Edward smiled. 

"Yeah, that sounds nice." 

Amanda was walking along the docks of Gotham harbor. Her thoughts were wandering, thinking about everything from her new life to who could have shot that bus driver. Maybe Zsasz, but Oswald didn't have a mark on the man. Maybe someone else had hired him. She didn't want to have messed up one of Zsasz's kills. As she walked she noticed someone standing at the end of the dock. They looked familiar and, as she walked towards them, she felt as if the world was crashing down around her. 

"A-Alexander?" she asked softly, "Is that you?" He turned and looked at her. She gasped and stepped forwards. It was, it was him. His eyes though. They were black and it looked like his sockets were just full of shadows. He teared up as he looked at her.

"Amanda... do... do you hate me?"

Oswald paced around the manor, his mind going a million miles an hour. Amanda had saved those people, it was all over the news. That was great as her popularity was skyrocketing. However he needed to know who had shot that man, it wasn't Zsasz and clearly whoever it was, was highly experienced. Along with that his paranoia was worse than ever. He always felt like there was someone right behind him, even when he knew damn well he was alone. The feeling of being watched was driving him mad. He had even thought about asking Zsasz to stay at the house to make sure there was no one there. He had been sleeping less and less as time went on. He took a deep breath and looked around. There was no one here, he assured himself, he'd know if there was. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He poured himself a glass of vodka and took a sip. He knew he probably shouldn't be drinking this much, especially alone, but he needed something to get his mind off of everything. He sighed softly and just downed the whole glass. He shook his head and huffed. His thoughts went to Edwards and Oswald frowned. He really didn't need to have another episode right now, but he just couldn't stop himself from thinking about the tall man. He got up from the couch and walked up to his office and sat at the desk. He opened the right draw and took everything out. He took the bottom off to reveal a secret compartment. Inside there was a stack of pictures, a small black box, and a necklace with a white rose on it. He gently took the box out and opened it, looking at the engagement ring and pair of wedding bands inside. He smiled sadly and placed the box on the desk before grabbing the pictures. He flicked through them looking at all the old memories of his fiance. Soon enough he was crying, he just couldn't stop himself. He heard someone coming and quickly put everything back in its place. He closed the draw and whipped the tears. He looked up as Zsasz walked in.

"Knocking Victor, we talked about this!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zsasz finds the hidden compartment in Oswald's desk and many more questions are brought to light.

Oswald walked through the house, the growing cold starting to bother his leg. He'd need to talk to Amanda about what he had seen on the news, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Oswald knew she could handle herself but it didn't stop him from worrying about her. Zsasz was leaning in the doorway of his office, quietly pondering what Oswald had been doing before he walked in. Victor frowned, knowing it wasn't his place to question it, but that didn't stop him from walking over to the desk. He opened the draws, they all seemed to have all the normal things inside. Except one. When he went to close it he heard something moving inside. He jerked the draw a bit and confirmed that he had heard something inside. He took the papers out and gently knocked on the bottom of the draw. It was hollow. He found a small tab and pulled the bottom out. A lot of things came to Zsasz attention but the first thing he noticed was the small black box, like the kind you'd keep an engagement ring in. He heard the door open downstairs and quickly put everything back. He'd come back later to figure out what all that was. As Zsasz walked downstairs he heard Oswald's usual 'mother hen' voice and Amanda's guilty chuckles. He grinned as he walked over and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Saw that on the news, pretty impressive," he said. She grinned at him.

"Oh ya know, I try," she joked and Oswald just shook his head. "Aww Ozzie don't worry so much. Besides that 'little stunt' as you call it gave me a huge popularity boost," she said, putting her hands on her hips. Zsasz gave Oswald a 'you know she's right' type look. Oswald just rolled his eyes.

"Right well you could have gotten hurt! What if that bus had gone over hmm?" he asked and Amanda grinned.

"C'mon now, I wouldn't let that happen!" she said with a laugh. Oswald shook his head and looked at the ground. Amanda grinned and lunged forwards to pull him into a hug. He just laughed at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "I also won't let you be mad at me." Zsasz looked at the two with a fond expression, something about the two of them just made him happy. He was already aware of his affections towards Oswald, but what of Amanda? She wasn't like Oswald in any way but she still made something inside him twinge with longing. Not that it was acceptable of him. He's not supposed to feel anything for anyone, especially not his boss and employer. Or his boss' sister. Especially not his boss' sister.

"I should get going," Zsasz said with a glance at Oswald. "Got a lot of work ahead of me tonight." Oswald nodded and Amanda grinned. She had been absolutely fascinated with Zsasz's methods of gathering information. Zsasz just gave her that wide eyed grin. Oswald rolled his eyes at the two assassins.

"Go do your thing Zsasz, I need to talked with Amanda about some things," he said and Victor nodded. Amanda let out a soft groan knowing she was either going to be lectured or have to do Chief of staff work.

Amanda was sitting in one of the living rooms frowning, thinking back on her encounter with Alexander.

_"D-Do you hate me...?" Amanda's eyes widened. Hate him?_

_"Hate you? How could I hate you?!" she exclaimed. He looked at her for a moment, grayish tears running down his face._

_"B-But I'm a monster..." he said softly. Amanda shook her head._

_"Not you're not but... how are you alive?" she asked softly._

_"A man named Hugo Strange brought me back to life a few months ago. I... I didn't know how to... how to..." he trailed off with a soft sob. Amanda ran forwards and pulled him into a hug. Alexander hugged back and Amanda buried her face in his fluffy hair. She pulled back and looked at him with a sad smile._

_"Oswald really misses you ya know," she said and he nodded. "You should really come back." Alexander's eyes widened and he rapidly shook his head._

_"No. No no no. Absolutly not! He'll freak out! He killed most of the other Strange creations... he- he..." His breathing sped up and Amanda pulled him close again._

_"Ok... shhh it's ok... I promise he won't hate you!" she said. He just shook his head._

_"No..."_

Oswald had just left the house and Zsasz walked up to the office. Once again he opened the draw of the desk and took everything out before opening up the secret compartment. He opened the small box and his eyes widened. Inside was a beautiful engagement ring and two wedding bands. Victor then turned his attention to the other things in the draw. Along with a small white rose necklace there were pictures. Victor took them out and looked at them for a moment. Besides what looked like a younger version of Oswald there was another young man. He had brown curly hair, tan skin, a bit taller than Oswald, and his eyes. They were similar to Fish's new eye coloring. One was a deep brown while the other was a sparkling ice blue. Zsasz assumed it was natural and not a replacement like Fish's. It was so strange looking at it. For a moment he didn't put two and two together. Then it clicked. Oswald was engaged to this man. He looked a lot like Amanda, maybe he was her brother. Would explain how they consider each other siblings. He heard movement in the door way and looked up to see Amanda standing there.

"It's not polite to snoop around other peoples things," she said in a deathly serious tone. Zsasz didn't pay any mind to the sudden hostility.

"Who is he?" he asked, looking down at the man in the picture. Amanda sighed and shook her head.

"Alexander, my twin brother and Oswald's fiance." So he was the mysterious Alexander Crowheart. Made sense. Zsasz looked at her for a moment.

"He's dead," he said, it was more of a statement than a question. Amanda paused before nodding.

"The day Oswald proposed. His eyes were gouged out and he was shot in the neck," she mumbled looking down at her feet. Zsasz nodded.

"He looks kinda like-"

"-Like Nygma. Yeah I know. I somewhat understand why Oswald fell for him. He's got a type." Zsasz chuckled a little.

"Taller than him, cute, nerdy?" he offered and Amanda laughed.

"First of all have you seen him? Everyone's taller than him!" The two chuckled before Amanda walked over, looking at the stuff in the draw. "He really kept all this stuff," she said softly. Her fingers trailed over the ring box and necklace, a sad smile on her face.

"You miss him huh?"

"We both do, Oswald and I, a lot actually," she said with a sigh. Zsasz looked at her for a moment. 

"How long ago did he die?" he asked and Amanda paused, thinking. 

"Two-Three years ago. Time without him just kinda all blurred together." She shook her head. "Just, do me a favor and never mention this to Oswald. He's very sensitive about it," she said and Zsasz nodded. The small man was a loose cannon and this could set him off like nothing before. 

"I should get going," Zsasz said as he started to put the pictures back into the draw. "I have some things I need to get to before Oswald gets home," Zsasz said and Amanda nodded. The two left the office and turned, going in two different directions. Zsasz left the mansion feeling discouraged, for some reason. Maybe it was the thought that he'd never live up to the promise of Alexander. Would Oswald ever see him like that? Zsasz shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Oswald is his **boss** not his lover. Besides with his and Oswald's jobs it would be best to not have lovers, especially each other. That didn't stop Zsasz from wishing Oswald looked at him like he did Nygma. It made Zsasz wonder if Alexander and Oswald had been that way with each other. 

Amanda walked into the Mayor's Office and walked over to Oswald, who was talking to... the police captain? Amanda raised an eyebrow and slowed her pace. Why would Oswald be talking to the GCPD Captain? He tried to avoid working anywhere near them. Oswald noticed her and grinned.

"Speaking of, Amanda! We were just talking about what happened on the bridge," he said and Amanda nodded. 

"Figured I'd get stuck talking to the police eventually," she said with a small smile. It was then that she noticed another officer standing next to the captain. She hadn't noticed him before. He was tall, about her height, with really short blond hair and blue eyes. He looked awkward and uncomfortable. Amanda just smiled and turned back to the captain. "So what about the bridge were you interested in?" 

"We're looking for the person who shot the driver," Barnes said and Amanda nodded. 

"Understandable. That shot was very professional, definitely someone trained," she started and Barnes nodded. "It was a very impressive shot though," she continued thoughtfully, "to hit someone in a moving vehicle and from the angle the glass was broken." The other officer was writing things down.

"Do you know anyone who might have been able to pull it off?" he asked looking up at her. Amanda paused for a moment, thinking. 

"Not sure, still new to Gotham after all... but I have heard of an assassin known as Victor Zsasz. Worked for Falcone at one point. Must have been good," she suggested and Oswald had to keep from cringing. "Although it might have been that other one that's been going around. I don't know her name but she's good." Oswald glanced at her. He hadn't heard of a new female assassin. Maybe one of Zsasz's girls had gone out on her own. The two officers looked equally confused.

"Odd. I haven't heard of any new assassins," Oswald said and Amanda shrugged.

"Might just be a rumor then," she said with a shrug. Oswald noticed Jim looking at his sister strangely and frowned, remembering Jim's track record with women. Barns also seemed to notice and he and Oswald shared a look. Oswald's clearly saying to keep Barnes' dog on a leash and Barnes' an apologetic one. 

"I think it's time we get going," Barnes suggested. "Don't want to get in the way of anything." 

"I think that'd be best," Oswald said with a small glare at Jim. Jim realized what was happening and just barely caught Oswald's look. It was, surprisingly, intimidating. Jim had never seen the small man as scary before but that cold heartless glare was one to rival Fish Mooney's, she'd trained him well. Once the two were gone Amanda turned to Oswald. 

"Who was the officer with the Captain?" she asked and Oswald sighed. 

"That was Captain Barnes and Jim Gordon," he said and she nodded, frowning. 

"Wasn't Jim that asshole who used you?" Oswald nodded. Amanda turned and looked at the door they had just left through. "He was looking at me weirdly," she said crinkling her nose. Oswald just huffed.

"He has a less than perfect track record with women. One of his exes is an insane criminal now, one hates his very existence cause he killed her husband, and the other is just straight up dead," he said and Amanda nodded.

"And he was making eyes at me." Again, Oswald nodded. Amanda rolled her eyes. "Lovely." The two made their way up to Oswald's desk and got to work, Amanda going through his schedule and making sure all Mayor and Kingpin things lined up well. It was quite a bit of work but Amanda found herself enjoying it. This was what she was used to. Making sure normal and criminal appearances blended well. She's always done it, for her father, then herself, and now Oswald as well. Unfortunately Her father lost his life to the criminal side of things. Amanda was going to make sure that never happened to Oswald. She smiled fondly as she set to work, knowing she had so easily replaced Nygma and effortlessly taken over his job. Oswald had even mentioned she was better then Nygma while they were drunk because at least she didn't always speak in riddles. Amanda knew that no matter how much he might have denied it Oswald found those riddles both annoying and endearing. 

Edward sat there in front of the mirror. The Riddler wasn't showing. 

"Come out dammit, I need to talk to you!" he whisper yelled, trying not to wake Isabella up down the hall. Still there was no response. Nygma had refused to show his face since Ed's 'realization', as if he didn't already know deep down. Finally his face in the mirror flickered and there was an annoyed version of himself looked back at him.

 _"What do you want Ed?"_ he asked, leaning forwards a bit. 

"To fix this! I need to fix things with Oswald," he said. His reflection started laughing hysterically. 

_"Fix this? You want to fix it?! OH Eddie it's far to broken! Do you see what you did to him? How you just left him? How easily you were replaced? You can't **fix it!** "_ Nygma yelled at him. Ed was taken aback. 

"But there has to be a way to fix it, Oswald's always taken us back before," he stressed and Nygma looked at him like he was stupid.

 _"Oh Ed, so naive. You do realize you didn't just break his heart right? You ripped it from his chest and threw it in the river,"_ he spat. Ed stood there for a moment in mild shock as his alter flickered and vanished, leaving him by himself with his thoughts.

"Ed are you ok?" a quiet voice from outside asked. 

"Yes I'm ok dear, sorry for waking you," he called back. 

"It's ok, come back to bed though, it's cold and you're warm," Isabella mumbled quietly and Ed smiled. He left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom with Isabella. 

**Author's Note:**

> Warning you now updates are gonna be infrequent but long, as this is sort of a side project. I have a vague idea of a story line but for the most part I'm just making it up as I go. Don't be upsetti at me for shipping Oswald with an original character cause I don't give a flying fuck about what you think. I'm writing this story for myself and for Vortex, if you chose to read it I don't want to hear you bitching about how it's not even close to cannon and if the characters seem a bit ooc ish. I'm to tired and done with people's shit to care. Remember, it's ME writing it not you. With that being said I DO appreciate feedback and constructive criticism, I just don't want y'all to be assholes about it :) The reason I'm saying this now, and it may sound a bit dickish I admit, is because I get so much god damn HATE on this ship for no reason at all. People just seem to hate the fact that it's an Oc and not some random cannon character. For some reason shipping him with Jeremiah is fine but when it's an Oc people pitch a fit! Plus it's not just them really it's any ship with an Oc because for some reason all Ocs are self inserts even thought Alexander (the oc in question) has a personality that's like, the opposite of mine but whatever... I started ranting there, sorry¡ Anyways do enjoy and don't be afraid to comment because of that whole rant bit, I'm not gonna blow up on ya I swear -w-'


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